WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES: The mum of a little boy attacked by a dog says it could have been avoided ‘1000 per cent’
The mum of a five-year-old boy who was mauled by a dog in his local park said she feared her son was dead, after he was dragged to the ground by an off the lead dog who sank his teeth into his face.
And she says if the bite had been any lower on his face it would have “killed him on the spot”.
Now mum of three Joanne Godfrey, 28, is calling on owners to be more responsible by keeping all dogs on leads in open spaces, fearing her son has been permanently scarred.
“It doesn’t matter how soft you think your animal is,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how playful and how friendly they are, keep your dog on a lead, especially in a place like this where there are kids.” She said the whole incident “could have been avoided 1000 per cent”.
The mum said when her traumatised son saw his injuries, he told her ‘mummy I look scary’. I just keep telling him he’s still beautiful.”
READ MORE: Boy, 5, suffers horror injuries as ‘bull breed’ dog mauls his eye, ears and faceREAD MORE: Gwent XL bully attack: Two arrested after baby boy killed
Roman was walking with his mum in a park near their home in Doncaster on Thursday when the dog, which did not have a muzzle on or a lead on, struck.
Roman was dragged to the ground and ended up under the dog believed to be a bull breed, causing injuries to his eye, ears and cheeks. He was taken to hospital where he needed surgery on his ear.
South Yorkshire Police said a 29-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control and had been released on bail. The dog remains in police kennels, the force added.
Joanne explained: “It was just a normal average day. We were coming home from school, Roman was happy as Larry. They’d just had their Halloween spooky disco. Roman’s autistic as well, so to see him coming out of his shell was special. He had all his face painted and everything, he was so happy.
“Roman always runs ahead and I’ve got the baby in the pram. I still hadn’t quite caught up to him, but I could see everything.
“The man and his dog were a fair distance away from Roman but then the dog’s stance changed as soon as it saw Roman. It did like this growl bark. I knew it wasn’t good, so I just said to Roman, ‘do not run’. Then literally in the blink of an eye, the dog ran at Roman straight away and went in for the kill.
“With its mouth, it took him to the floor, it was on top of him. I managed to get myself there quickly, it was awful. I thought it was going to kill him. As soon as I got to him I was like; ‘oh my god he’s gonna die, he’s going to die’. My mind was racing but it was also numb at the same time.
“Roman was under the dog. I couldn’t see Roman’s face so I didn’t know what I was pulling him out from. I had to pull him by his legs and just kind of scooped him up. “
She said her son was covered in blood, adding: “Roman was screaming ‘I’m gonna die, I’m “going to die, I’m gonna be dead’ literally on repeat.”
Joanne said she is “in awe” of her son following the attack, especially as he had been back to the park to play.
“Proud isn’t even the word. If that was me, a grown-up, that had just been attacked by a dog – you wouldn’t catch me coming back. When we were in the hospital he was like ‘I can’t believe that dog attacked me’.
“But what touched me was when he asked; ‘Mummy. Do you feel bad for that man?’. I was like ‘What do you mean baby?’. He was like ‘Do you feel bad for the man because I just wanted him to have a nice day and this has happened and now he’s not having a nice day and he got really upset’.
“I said ‘oh that’s because you’re a really really good person’. So he’s like thinking of how everyone else is, rather than himself. I felt bad for the dog owner initially as well and then as time went on, I’m just getting more and more angry.
“When he’s been getting like a bit upset and a bit emotional he’s like ‘I’ve just had surgery’.
“His eye is really really sore so I’ve got to keep putting this ointment inside his eye and he says: ‘I’m so brave’. He really is.”
Possession of the animals without a certificate of exemption was banned after a Mirror campaign supported by Emma Whitfield whose son was killed by an XL Bully. XL Bullys have been blamed for at least 17 fatal attacks since 2020.
Emma’s son Jack Lis, 10, was mauled to death by an XL Bully in November 2021. Her bravery in talking about her ordeal led to the Government announcing a law change. Owners must now register and neuter them, and keep them muzzled and on a lead in public. It is illegal to breed or pass them on.
In a recent fatal attack a nine-month-old boy was killed by a family dog in Monmouthshire believed to be an XL Bully. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.
